The moon shines brightly on a fool and his bike

So I was pushing my bike through the snow Friday, in the dark, thinking of the pyramid of small errors that got me to that point.

I had to stay at work a little late. That kept me from riding home under sunshine and blue skies. Instead, I rode into the dusk with a big pumpkin-colored moon overhead. It was so pretty I didn’t mind. Besides, I had my light on my bike for when it got dark.

Image by jurvetson via Flickr

I crossed Route 7 and headed down the hill toward the river. I would follow the plowed section of the bike path to Lock 7 and then headed out to the road when I got to the part of the path that wasn’t plowed. Being optimistic, I thought the snow might have melted during the day and I could take the path the whole way.

But the snow didn’t melt and my headlight didn’t work. I’m not sure if it was the batteries or the bulb, but as I messed with it the sky grew darker, as did my thoughts.

I would probably live through riding my bike down River Road in the dark. If I made the mistake of mentioning it when I got home, I’d likely meet my end — or wish I did instead.

That’s how I ended up pushing the bike in the snow and darkness.

It’s just over a mile from the lock to Blatnick Park where I’d meet pavement again. It wasn’t too bad but I considered many times how a wiser man would be home already enjoying some chicken parm and a Blue Moon beer.

Speaking of moons, the one in the sky changed from orange to bright white. When I got to the hill at Blatnick Park, it seemed impossibly bright. I could make out hundreds of ducks and geese on the bluish water of the Mohawk. It was an amazing sight and a nice payoff to my poor planning.